Draft-gear.



J. J. EWING.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATKON mm MAR. 22. 19m.

Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

2 SHEETS'SHEET I lumen/2502 Jinn Jim/v J. J. EWING.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 23K 1916.

1 ,199, 1 67. Patented Sept, 26, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z. 16 151 9. 3T

Inventor:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. EWING, OF RICHMOND. VIRGINIA.

DRAFT-GEAR.

Application filed March 23, 1916.

To all f/tom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jens J. EWING, a citizen of the United States, residing at tichmond, in the county of Hcnrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft- Gears, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in draft gears and more particularly to the form of the yoke which is used in a draft gear to transmit the forces of pulling and buffing from the coupler of the car to the car body through resistant elements.

, An object of my invention is to provide a simple, and at the same time a strong arrangement for taking up the pulling and buffing forces and accomplish this in a minimum longitudinal space.

Another object of my invention is to provide a yoke that does away with the ordinary rear follower or supporting bar or cross piece under the sills, and which is just as effective in service and naturally much more simplified in construction.

Still another object of my invention is to support the yoke by two transverse keys, one of which is movable in the sills of the car body and the other tightly secure against any movement.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a draft gear supported and held by transverse keys passing through the front and rear ends of the yoke, and to also position stops in certain spaced relation with said transverse keys, so that after the limit of compression has been reached by the resistant means in saidyoke, the stops will take up any additional buffing shocks and cooperate with the rear transverse key.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a yoke that may be readily and cheaply cast and formed with a minimum amount of metal, but so designed as to be exceedingly strong at the necessary places or positions.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a voke in which may be used any preferred form of resisting frictional elements or springs and at the same time necessitating but one follower.

' St ll nother object of my invention is to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

Serial No. 86.102.

provide a draft rigging which comprises simply the yoke, transverse keys and stops which may all be readily attached to any car and necessitating only one follower and any preferred form of resistant element.

The beams of the center sill of the car body will naturally have to be provided with openings, which in one instance provides for a longitudinal movement of a transverse key and another opening opposite the rear of the yoke which will snugly receive the end portions of a second key, so that the latter key is fixed against movement with relation to the body of the car. The openings in the. yoke however, are such that the yoke may move with relation to the keys and to the center sills of the car and the resistant elements and follower maintain the yoke at a predetermined normal position with relation to said sills: and a movement of the yoke with relation to the sill and kevs does not occur until the yoke is subjected to sudden or abnormal shocks or pressure. and this only in a pulling movement.

\Vith the above and other objects in view my invention consists in certain new and novel features and combination of parts and construction of elements as will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings forming a part hereof and in which like numerals designatev like parts. Figure 1 is a top plan view showing the draft rigging inserted between the center sills of the car and the parts in their normal position. Fig. 2 is a similar vertical central section with the resistant element in elevation. Fig. 3 is a similar horizontal sectional view partly in plan. Fig. 4 is an end elevation and Fig. 5 is a perspective'view of the yoke.

Referring now to the, drawings, it will portion :21 in one instance and to the lower portion 25 in the other instance. Passing through this reinforced projection 31 is a further elongated slot 37 which extends from a point behind the rearward wall 33 to a point 39, leaving a wall 39 to the rear of said opening.

The elongated opening 37 in the extension 34 of the yoke 10 is greater in length than the openings 3 in the center sills and in the plates 20, and also greater than the transverse breadth of the key 5, so that the said yoke may move with relation to said key and said sills. The said key 5 when in its normal position contacts at its forward edge with the wall 33 and the reinforcing lugs it) thereon. the said key 5 guiding the rear end of the yoke in its movement, limiting its longitudinal movement and transmitting the strains to the plates and center sills.

Taking up now the action, and first when a pulling strain is exerted;.when the draw bar 7 is pulled f vrwardly it carries with it the key 4. the said key sliding in the open-- ings :2 in the center sills and in the openings within the stops it). This key 4 then pulls forwardly the yoke 10 thereby compressing the resistant elements 13 and 14 which are held against forward movement by the follower 11. the follower being held against forward movement by the rear stops 19 on the plates 16.. At the same time of course the rear extension 31 slides over the key 5. the length of the rear slot 37 being such that the rear end of thesame contacts with the rear edge of the key 5 at the limit of the travel of the resistant elements 13 and 1-1. This is an exceedingly valuable function in that it brings in the resisting action of the key 5 to help the resistance afl'orded by tle stops 1!) on the plates 16 if the pull should happen to be in excess of the capacity of the resistant elements.

Taking up now the reverse actio n that is the. bntling action; the yoke having returned to its normal position as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. and the rea r wall 33 resting against the front edge of the key 5; the coupler shank or draw bar 7 will bear directly against the. follower 11, and as it moves inwardlv it will carry the key 4, which is pcrmittcd to slide in the forward openings in the center sills and plates; the yoke does not move rearwardly longitudinally in this instancc. that is in the buffing action, but the coupler shank 7 slides through the forward arms-28 and 29 forcing the follower ll backward compressing the resisting olements l3 and 14 and forcing the follower against the stops 20 and 21, while the rear end of the yoke bears solidly against thc key 5 transmitting the shock thereto and to the plates 20 and (enter sills 1. in other words after the ccapression element has reached its limit the stops 21 as well as the key 5 will take up the extra forces and the stops 21 of course relieve the pressure on the keys. 1

From the foregoing it will be seen that the forward key 1 is movable forwardly and rearwardly while the rear key 5 is station ary, so that the rear or extension of the yoke acting with key 5 will help relieve the pressure on the forward stops after the compression element has-reached its limit in a pulling action, and:that in a butling action stops '21 take up any strain beyond the compression strain of the resistant element. or in other words cooperating with key 5.

It will thus be seen that by providing the rear of the yoke with the extension mentioned the forward motion of the yoke is limited to relieve the pressure on the forward stops.

\Vith my construct-ion shown although a minimum amount of metal is used in the yoke the same is reinforced at its rear end to withstand the terrific strains that the same is naturally subjected to; also that the stops are designed to take up the severe strain, and that a minimum amount of longitudinal space only is used. Also that although a number of parts generally used are dispensed with the gear is exceedingly simple in operation and accurate in its operation.

I am aware that the structure shown in the forward part of the gear is not new but I am not aware of any draft gears having the arrangement as shown at the rear thereof in the form of an extension to guide the draft gear in its movement, help relieve the shocks on the forward stops, and 'also support the rear of the yoke so that "the strains are distributed to the. center sills ,and plates as shown.

It is to be understood that resistant or frictional elements or springs now used with yokes of the general type of the above may be readily used or one form substituted for that of another.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A yoke having spaced side walls and a connecting rear end wall, said yoke being provided at its rear end with an extension having an opening passing transversely through the same, the forward edge of the said opening being flush with the rear surface of the end wall. the yoke also being provided with side lugs the rear surfaces of which lie in the same plane as that in which the rear surface of the end wall lies.

yoke having spaced side walls and a connecting rear end wall, said yoke being provided at-its rear end with an extension having an opening passing transversely through the same, the forward edge of the said opi-ning being flush with the rear surface of the and walL there being i race portinns at the. sides of the extension which L'mulect with the rear end of the bady of the yoke.

3. A yoke for a draft gear comprising upper and lower wails, arms at the front of skid \vails, their rear surfaces defining the forward limits of a pocket, a rear wall limiting the other end of said packet, said rear 10 wall having at its side edges, an extension formed at the rear of said wall. and angularly disposed rii s extfinaling to the end of said mmm, said arms and said. extn Sign being; provided with herizontal. aiined 

